Brookfield, WI: American Friction Welding has chosen a Thompson friction welding machine to boost its capacity. Thompson, located in the UK, manufactures machines used by component makers around the world.

Based in Brookfield, Wisconsin, American Friction Welding has taken delivery and installed a 50 ton model, which is used to join a wide variety of components up to 8 feet in length.

The single-ended machine, which features Thompson’s latest software and HMI, will extend AFW’s capabilities for friction welding products typically used in the Oil and Gas industry as well as Agriculture and Construction, Electrical Utility equipment, Food and Chemical and Semi-conductor processing equipment.

The 50-ton machine is used to join dissimilar metals, create blanks and net shapes, drill pipes and rods, also hydraulic cylinders and piston rods for advanced manufacturing. Common material combinations include stainless steel to medium carbon steel, copper to aluminum and aluminum to steel.

The new machine’s features include a self-centering clamp, manual positional backstop, part orientation and an adaptive forge function for accurate length control. A single tool, two-axis flash removal system has also been added for detaching upset from more complex geometries.

“Our customers rely on us not just for the highest quality products, but to deliver these in a time frame that meets their supply chain demands. Adding another Thompson machine with these enhanced features will allow us greater flexibility in our own capacity while giving our customers more freedom in their designs” explained John Fischer, AFW’s president.

American Friction Welding, the largest full-service direct-drive, rotary friction welding job shop in North America offers fabrication by the solid fusion of metal including dissimilar metals. AFW operates a 50,000 square foot climate controlled facility with on-site warehouse and complete Kan-Ban program that completes the cycle to meet customer’s need and standards.www.thompson-friction-welding.com